Friday, August 30, 2013

I seem to have a thing for blogging on Fridays so I'll link up with Joy again for the Friday Five.

our Lovey Lou

I've missed two weeks due to using a little more data than our current Verizon plan allows! Apparently, I spend a little too much time on Instagram! I love using it to share pictures of LG daily since we live 3.5 hours from our family! Limiting my Internet usage for the last two weeks has been a challenge! Anyways, on to my five things on this last Friday of Summer! {Seriously, where did it go?!}

1.) Into EVERYTHING... That would be what my Londyn Gracie Girl is up to these days. Keeping up with her is a full-time job! We are working so hard to teach boundaries and limits, but it is clear that

sooo pretty

she is going to be the kind of child that presses the limits we set. She has an energy and determination that is unlike anything I think I've ever seen! I am going to need lots of prayer and lots of chocolate to train this little lady in the way she should go!

2.) PAINTING and PARTY PREP...We are knee-deep in preparations for the big birthday celebration! I am trying to cross a few things off my list each day and having so much fun doing it! I lay awake at night with a million ideas swirling in my mind! I'm anxious to see them all come to fruition!

We've decided on the menu, and I've started the painting projects that need to be done! I scored this vintage highchair at a garage sale last spring, before I even knew if LG was a girl or a boy! I bought with the intention of using it for the baby's first birthday! It got it's first coat of pink paint last night! I'm going to add a white monogram to the tray tomorrow after the second coat dries.

excuse the poor quality of this iPhone picture!

The invitations are out, and we have even received a few responses! I ended up ordering a digital design on Etsy and then printed it at Costco! I only have just over $20 in them and couldn't be happier with how they turned out! I highly recommend Bunglehouse Designs! She is amazing to work with!

I LOVE how these turned out!

3.) STINK FACE... We're not sure where it came from, but this is LG's new face of choice! We call it her stink face. She doesn't necessarily do it when she's upset more when she's trying to figure something out, but regardless we find it pretty funny!

such a stinker!

4.) FALL is ALMOST HERE... I can't believe we are one weekend away from the unofficial start of fall. I am looking forward to boots and leggings, and pumpkins and colorful leaves! A new pair of boots were calling my name at Marshall's last night. I think I'll put them on my birthday list! It's crazy tothink that last year, we had a teeny tiny newborn that was nursing twenty four/seven! Due to that, we didn't do many fall related activities, so I am excited about Lovey Lou experiencing my favorite season for the first time. I can't wait to take her to the pumpkin patch! We already have the perfect smocked dress for this outing!

how precious are smocked pumpkins?!

5.) GO BLUE... Unlike most of the southern bloggers, I am a girl who did not grow up watching football. I know, I know, but, my Daddy just wasn't into it. My husband on the other hand is a HUGE fan of college ball and growing up in Michigan means he bleeds maize and blue. He has been waiting all summer for tomorrow's big game!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

1.) {Napping} ~ Londyn Grace has become quite a fan of this quiet time each day! I mentioned in her ten month post that she seemed to be transitioning from 3 short naps to 2 longer ones. This week she has proved that true! Today's nap lasted 2.5 hours!!! And...she slept in her crib the entire time! (Another accomplishment!) She wakes up rested and ready for the afternoon and evening which worked out perfectly this week since we have been at church every night for VBS!

2.) {Housekeeping} ~ With LG's new found love of mid-day rest, I am catching up on months of cleaning, organizing, decorating, etc! It feels SO good to have things in their places and to finally have all of pictures and decor up on the walls! I even worked on a little monogram and burlap project during naptime the other day! It is looking lovely in our entryway!

if you are on Instagram, I'd love for you to follow me there! @ephthreetwenty

3.) {Clapping} ~ We clap. All. Day. Long! It is the sweetest thing! A few mornings ago, she was even clapping before she got out of bed! What a joy this little lady is!

4.) {Party Planning} ~ I can't believe the big O-N-E is less than two months away! I've finally decided on a color scheme/theme for Goosey's party! Next week, I'm headed home to Maryland where my Mama and I will spend a few days bringing my vision to life! I am picturing lots of pennant banners, floral fabrics, pinks, blues and vintage details! I lay awake at night planning it all in my head! The invitation below is something similar to what I'll probably choose, but it will need to include a picture, of course! :)

5.) {Winning} ~ I'm not on Facebook, but when the company that I bought Londyn Grace's romper for her 9 month portraits from announced this contest I knew I had to try! We are currently in 5th place, down by about 70 likes! If you are on Facebook, would you take a minute to click here, like the Gabskia Accessories Page and to like LG's picture?! She is entry # 76. We would (or rather I!) would love to win $100 worth of outfits for her! Thanks in advance for your help!

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Weighing in at 17 pounds 5 ounces, LG is starting to chub up a bit! She is wearing mostly 9 month clothes (though I have trouble finding that size at most stores. They seem to jump from 6 to 12 months and we are too big for 6 and too small for 12!) She is measuring 28 inches long.

Our biggest accomplishment this month happened when she finally figured out how to crawl! It started as a half crawl/half scoot as she would drag one leg behind her, but each day she is getting a little faster and has pretty much mastered moving on all fours without dragging her leg! The morning after she started crawling she woke up, rolled right over on her belly and sat straight up in bed like a big girl!

With this new found mobility, someone is all over the place and into EVERYTHING!!!

She has discovered the electrical outlets (hello, baby proofing!) how to dump the trashcan in her nursery, and figured out how to mess in just about anything she's not supposed to mess in! She is one busy girl! We are working hard on teaching her boundaries and the meaning of the word no. She definitely doesn't like correction, and gets her feelings hurt easily, but it is important she learns early what she should and shouldn't do/touch!

Within the last week, she has started pulling up on everything! She loves to stand! She is now taking assisted steps and will "walk" holding our hands! Unfortunately, this new pulling up thing also resulted in her first bruise! :(

Goosey is loving food these days! She had her first taste of meat this month and loved it. She hasn't really turned down anything we've given her! She gets so excited when she sees us eating! I can't give her bites fast enough! We've made sharing pancakes a morning ritual! She also shares her Pop Pop's love of Cheerios! The other night, we went out for frozen yogurt and it was a HUGE hit! Daddy was sweet enough to share his since it was much healthier than Mama's chocolate covered cookie dough filled peanut butter dessert! ;)

She is loving all these new tastes and textures, but her favorite by far is still her beloved milky! {I am SO thankful that today marks 10 months of nursing!! We had so many moments in those early days where I wondered if we would ever make it through our first month let alone ten months!} LG nurses every 3-3.5 hours or pretty much whenever she's hungry or wants a snack!

She is so silly and is laughing so much more these days! It is the sweetest sound! She loves to play peek a boo and wave good morning to the baby in the mirror! Clapping is her new favorite past time making "If You're Happy and You Know It" her favorite song that Mama sings to her and "Pat a Cake" her favorite game to play with Daddy!

She now does a hand gesture (sort of like a backwards wave) and says "Na-na-na" when expressing want for something! She is saying Dada and Mama with distinction. Lovey Lou can make quite the array of faces most of which include sticking out her tongue! This month she has also mastered blowing raspberries!

Londyn Grace pulled her first all nighter a few weeks ago due to her top front teeth working their way through. (They still haven't cut through, but you can see them trying to!) She cried from11 pm to 6 am and even nursing, which typically fixes anything, didn't help her. Finally a few Hyland's teething tablets did the trick! Since then she's back to sleeping normally with only one wake up. Some nights she is still starting in her crib while other nights she just snuggles in with us when she goes to sleep. I miss her when she's in her nursery and don't sleep well unless she's cuddled up next to me!

I think she is gradually turning her two-three short naps a day into one-two longer naps. We've had a few two hour stretches which is a new thing for us!

Other firsts this month include celebrating her first Fourth of July, and being dedicated to the Lord!

She is so friendly and generally a happy, smiley and sweet baby!! We can't go out to eat or to the store without being stopped by someone who says how pretty she is!

Her only dislikes include clothes and diaper changes and not being near Mama!

The last ten months have been the best. Ever. Londyn girl is such a precious gift! The Lord is good! I will never be able to thank Him enough!

About Us

After two and half years of dating we said "I do" on December 17, 2011. We had a fairy tale wedding and were thrilled to begin our happily ever after! Just a month after our wedding, we found out we were expecting and on October 3, 2012 welcomed our sweet baby girl, Londyn Grace to our family! Here you can peek into our life and ministry and watch LG grow! We count it a privilege and honor to serve our Savior, and pray that He is glorified in all we say and do!